Transacting inter-human arrangemnts

~ economics and social theory

Money is used to transact inter-human arrangements; humans use money to transact their arrangements.

Understanding this, how we apply social theory? Society is an inter-human arrangement. If the arrangements by which persons live are reduced to money transactions, does that necessarily imply anything about whether these arrangements are civilized? We may think about whether we want to have an economy that is regulated or unregulated, civilized or uncivilized. What kind of a world do we want these transactions to take place in? It seems to be a question of whether the world is a civilized place or not.

Deals are being transacted; it is clear that is going on. There is no question but that they are transacting deals. The deals are big and small of course. The deals may span oceans. There are deals that ivolve millions and million of dollars. This is the fact and if that is what is going on, do we want these folks to be civilized or uncivilized?

One way to answer this question about the capitalist society is civilized or not is to observe that more or less most of the time, such persons are getting along amicably. The interactions are peaceful in that they are at a state of social peace vis-a-vis one another. But what if those transacting million dollar deals decide to act uncivilized? What if it gets messier at the level below the dealmakers? That would be a different matter entirely.

If money is involved in transacting these arrangements, there is not some fault with that. That is not a problem, but there is a problem when the transactions do not go through to the social fabric. The persons involved in the trade system, and in the human arrangements that stem from it, must be representative of the general population. This is a very important principle. It applies at both the higher and lower levels. A viable capitalistic trade system must directly reflects the ruling social order of that society. As society democratizes, more different types of person can enter business. To be genuine, a capitalistic system must have its roots in the community ---- and there is always some sort of community.

This is characteristic of social integration, or going through the whole social fabric was the case in American capitalism right through the 1980s. At the same time is did not remain beyond the nineteen eighties. There was then a correspondence, a concord, between ruling elites and wealthy elites. There were cultural rules that simply had to be obeyed. Tension was being deflected through the financial system, through the system of money payments. Those persons participating in capitalism did not get very much, by today's standards. But the money was distributed throughout the entire society and at every level. Something very, very different is occuring today. Those people who represent the earlier stage have retired by now and the ones actively controlling the world constitute a much smaller group. They are mediocrities.

There is a social dimension to this as persons, both on the higher and lower levels, become more and more psychotic. Behavior no longer fits the standard upheld by the earlier society. Capitalism has degenerated into a much less civilized stage.

Our desires meet in the marketplace. As this happens, a society progresses. As a liberal US/America becomes more and more accepted, the many conservatives who exist feel left out. They are directly being excluded from the society. It does not take a genius to realize this is what is happening to him.

There people vote for Trump and this only serves to further erode their own basis for a viable, civilized for of economic life. Ultimately, Donald Trump is bad for social life and bad for the economy. The existing elites are just as bad, whether they claim to be liberals or whatever it is.

Based on these considerations, I am certainly happy that voters in NYC (which is obviously important as a major business city) have selected Mamdani as the leading candidate for mayor. We should then consider what changes need to be made in U. S. economic policy. These must be changes that keep our society of money-based exchanges civilized, rather than corrupt, barbaric, savage, or murderous.